


An alternate Ending

by Bensol



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28504164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bensol/pseuds/Bensol
Summary: An alternate ending to the sequels that i wrote within one day and one sleepless night because I am a sucker for Fluff. Enjoy!Obviously I have not invented the Characters and this is based on the Star Wars Universe, specifically The Rise of Skywalker.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. PART I.

I.

Pain. It was all she felt, her whole body was on fire, limp and cold at the same time. It wasn't a sharp pain, like a broken arm or a burning hit from a lightsaber. It was dull, numb, yet so excruciatingly throbbing, it brought tears to her eyes. Not one clear thought crossed her mind, all she could grasp was darkness and pain. And then, ever so suddenly, it was gone. Her lips broke apart, filling her lungs with cold fresh air and her body with life. She could feel her limbs again, every fingertip. And then she felt him. Holding her tightly, one hand on her stomach. His breaths were heavy but steady. Focused. It took Rey a few seconds to realize that he was the one healing her. Mind still clouded from spinning thoughts and memories, she could barely tell dreams from reality. But he was real. They were real. They had to be, it was all she could feel, and her feelings were almost too overpowering to endure. Rey took one more breath, determined this time. In control again, her head shot up, and her eyes were locked onto his face. Escaping paralysis, her hand caressed his.  
The pain had faded in it's entirety, making way for the purest of joys she had ever felt. Her heart was racing now, filling her body with oxygen and clearing her mind. He was there, right in front of her, faces just inches away from eachother. She almost couldn't move, didn't want to leave this position. His arms felt so safe and warm, providing a harsher than ever contrast to the freezing air around them. The trace of a smile graced his lips. "Ben..", her voice was  
raspy, almost cracking under the weight of her emotions. The smile widened. Embracing Ben further, she traced his cheek, let her fingertips take in every inch of it, memorizing his face like a map with streets that she already knew by heart.  
Unable to suppress the urge any longer she passed the distance between their faces swiftly. Lips brushing against each other, they kissed. Rey could sense his heart pounding against her chest, synchronized with hers.

It took both of them a little to give in and eventually catch their breath, engulfed in their emotions of absolute euphoria. They were alive. Laughing now, she embraced him again, closer this time, hugging him tightly. She held the position for a bit, stroking his back gently, praying to whatever was out there to make this one moment last forever, as she could not bear the thought of it ending. 

Ultimately, the numbness took back her body, but it was comforting this time. Ben had gently picked her up and carried her back to the others. 

At last Rey managed to break free from her slumber. She could sense Ben's presence clearly, vast asleep on the bed next to hers.  
For a while she laid there watching him, thinking of their kiss and all the other moments full of intimacy between them. Her gaze then wandered around the dark room freely, observing everything her eyes could make out. They were back at the ship, safely. Together. 

Trying to stretch her aching muscles she sat up on the bed. All cuts had been bandaged up, quite professionally, too. She turned towards Ben again.  
Cautious not to wake or disturb him, Rey gently let her fingers run over his skin, barely touching it, making sure that his lesions had been tended to as well. 

Eventually she got up completely and, as if to spite her knees that tried to give in at every step, made her way out of the room.  
They weren't flying anymore, she was sure of that. 

"Rey, you're up!" Rey jumped at Finn's voice, despite it's familiarity. He immediately put his arm around Rey's shoulders to support her efforts of walking towards the door. "It's good to see you. Is everyone alright? How long were we out for?" Her voice had recovered a little and wasn't on the verge of breaking anymore, but worry still resonated within it. To counteract, she gave him a soft and thankful smile. Finn returned the gesture but she could sense his concern. "About a day, but everyone is fine. They're excited to see you again, now that you're both stable enough. You should still rest, though. Ky-", he paused slightly, "Ben and you were both pretty banged up. Don't know how he managed to carry you back to the ship, if I'm honest." A lump formed in her throat and Rey couldn't tell if it was distress or guilt. Ben must've looked more than grievously injured for them to not even handcuff him. Getting out of the ship didn't seem as urgent anymore. "I should stay with him. Make sure he is healing properly-" Her tongue seemed to stumble across the words in her head and everything felt unbearably hot all of the sudden. Gasping for air she reached for the walls to support her stand in addition to Finns arm, but they just seemed to be closing in on her. The mere thought of losing him, abandoning him, it made her stomach turn.  
It flashed before her eyes, his face cold and empty. Almost pushing away Finn's arm she made her way back to Ben. It was just a few step away, one door, but it felt like her feet were glued to the floor. As soon as she reached his bedside, her legs gave in and she fell to her knees, breathing heavily. He was still there, like no time had passed, with firm rhythmic breaths. 

"Rey?", Ben mumbled, still half asleep. His hand reached out and brushed against her cheek. His voice was deeper than she remembered but his smile remained the same. "I'm here.", she gasped, clutching his hand tightly to her hammering chest. Unable to give the feeling of closure up yet again, they remained embracing each other on the bed until the first sunlight hit the windows, throwing its sparkling shapes onto the solid metal walls. 

Rey had never thought about how their return would go in detail. But even if she had, the roaring applause of the rebel crowd surpassed all her expectations. Her shoulder was brushing against Ben's the entire way out of the ship, and even in the celebration that followed they always stayed close enough by each others side that their hands could touch at any moment. It hadn't quite sunken in yet that the fight was over, and at times, as if out of habit, their eyes met, and she could see how tense and alert he was. Contrary to her, Ben did not know many of the Rebels, and although they proceeded more so with caution around him than hatred, there was always a distance. 

She was sure that Finn must've given quite the speech before their official return. And he made an effort to talk to Ben as well, practically dragging him along and introducing him to everyone. He did have concerns, she could sense that much, but they had been through far more than enough for Finn to know to trust Rey's judgement. 

The following days of celebration tried to make up for the days lost to fighting and to the crushing emptiness that only a war can wreak, and although it couldn't be forgotten, it became less of the present and more of a memory with every story, laugh and joke shared between the rebels.

Soon enough victorys excitement faded away and routine took it's place. People left the resistance base in search of a new life, or to help establish a new form of government. Rey spent most days with the organisation and redistribution of resources while Ben helped locate former enemy bases that were either abandoned now or understaffed. Still regaining their strength, physical exercise was exhausting to both, but they still made sure to spend evenings and nights together, even if that meant just falling asleep in each others arms without a word.  
In time, only a dozen people remained at the base, including them, and life started slowing down.

"How are you feeling?" It was Ben who broke the silence first that night, head tilted slightly toward her face, a soft smile on his lips. "Good. Better. I wouldn't fight a Nightwatcher right now, but walking isn't so torturous. You?" She could feel a grin form on her face and, as if to hide it, rested her head against his chest. "Doing well myself, thank you. I could definitely still carry you." "But could you do it while", she emphasized the last word, "you fight a Nightwatcher?"  
He chuckled, leaning his back agaist the wall and pulling her closer onto his lap. Their laughter filled the dark room with warmth and their bodys with bliss. "Maybe." 

Woken up by the first beams of D'Qar's daylight, Ben opened his eyes. It's rays made the small particles of dust throughout the cabin glow like fireflies dancing above their heads. Rey was still asleep, wrapped into a blanket, her head resting on his upper arm. It was beyond him how it was possible, holding her so close, after all he had done. All the torment, affliction. It had torn him and all he had loved apart, broken his very core and he had nobody but himself to blame. The guilt seemed to absorb, to swallow him, merciless and cruel as he had once been. Waves of emotion flooded his head and blackened his vision. The pain, he deserved it. He deserved all of it, and more. "It's okay.", Reys mellow voice broke through the racing thoughts at once, her fingertips brushing over his scars, wiping the tears away. He hadn't even noticed them until they were already gone, erased from his skin like they had never existed in the first place, like there had never even been a reason for such sadness and devastation. "I'm here." The feeling of safety that echoed in her voice, it was so familiar to him, but different this time. It wasn't about stopping his tears, calming the raging oceans of thoughts in his head, it was about letting them out. She was there, not to suppress the terrors, but to face them by his side. He wasn't alone anymore, not in his fears or his joy. And she wasn't either. The bond they shared was vigorous, indestructible. Not defined by a light or a dark side, not by their differences, but by endearment. 

"I want to- I need to put an end to it, to-..", it took him a moment of gathering his strength to speak words he had never wanted to hear again "to Kylo Ren. To everything." "To the imbalance." She added with a nod. "So you feel it too? The vicious circle. When there are Jedi, there will be Sith, and both will keep the galaxy from finding peace. Luke tried to stop it. Now it's on us." He let her words fill his now almost empty mind. "But it won't be different this time. If it hasn't worked before, why now?" His eyes met Rey's, so full of hope, of strength. Oh, how he admired it. She smiled, there was something wishful about it. "Because this time, not one but both sides will lay their weapons down, for good." "For peace." He couldn't help but smile as well. 

Throughout their conversation the sun had fully pushed the clouds away and was now standing high and bright above the horizon, filling their room with light. A new day had begun, but to him it felt like another life, one free of the darkness that had surrounded him for so long. There was more to be done, their path was far from over, but he couldn't imagine it's beginning at any place other than by Rey's side.


	2. PART II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This part is shorter and was actually written first but i still like it. Takes place a little later in time.

The suns stood high above the desert sky, bright and hot as ever. Softly giving way, the sand below their feet compelled them to take slow and cautious steps. Besides the scorching heat and the barren wilderness, Tattooine seemed remarkably peaceful. With their speeders just close by enough to spot them on the horizon they entered the hut, finally sheltered from the merciless weather. At first neither of them dared to speak, memories as fresh and painful as the wounds their bodies carried weighting down the silence. Too drained from their last fight and the walk to shelter, they just sat on one of the cool metal benches, eyes closed. Carefully, almost like the weight of his thoughts could crush it, Ben rested his head against her shoulder. Rey's eyes were shut, but she could feel his heartbeat, strained and heavy like hers, and the hours went by like seconds until the adrenaline yielded tranquility. Despite such different lives, experiences and scars, they felt connected. There would be no more Jedi, no more Sith, no more Palpatine or Skywalker, just the two of them amidst a galaxy of peace that had suffered too many pointless wars. With their thoughts drifting into sleep, all they feared ended like it began. With twin suns on a desert planet. 

Weeks later, after recovering strength in mind and body, they left for Mustafar. The former rebel ship wasn't spacious but enough to get around safely and they didn't feel like there was much to fear other than pirates, but then again, the planet wasn't necessarily known for it's tourism and temptation of rich travellers. The boiling heat in the air was rather detering than alluring, so they didn't plan to stay any longer than absolutely obliged. Yet, something about the place felt familiar, something that had bound their destiny to Mustafar and drawn them back to it, so long after the last people had set foot on it's metal bridges above the lava grounds. Fingers intertwined on one hand each and their sabers gripped tightly with the other, they stared down, almost in admiration for the red and orange glowing seas.   
In her head, faint as a memory, Rey could hear the voices of the Jedi again. Ben and her had agreed on the right steps to take long before leaving Tattooine, but hearing them now seemed to lift one more weight off her shoulders, and she could sense Ben feeling the same.  
Loosening their grip they let go of the weapons and watched them melt. Silenced now, not by agony or bitterness, but by the utter relief and jubilation of closing a book that they had never wanted to read in the first place. Jedi and Sith would not be forgotten, their storys and deaths would not be in vain, but they would never rise again. War and suffering was over, the republic and imperial tanks were rotting in the wilderness alike. A new chapter had begun, one of rebuilding a galaxy full of hope- not for another war, but for it's people, and the ones who once fought to defend them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece of writing in years, maybe others will follow, who knows. Have a wonderful day, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Disclaimer: English is not my first language so please excuse any mistakes, thanks!


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